Everyone in the room, including the dog and cat, turned and looked at Sumac.
“Oh my God, all of you stop staring at me. The stone is a conflict rune. It’s bound now. I’ll just keep it for my collection,” she said and plucked the stone up from the floor.
“Aunt Sumac,” Belladonna said with narrowed eyes and a skeptical look written on her face.
“What? Do you want to keep it?” she asked and offered the rock to them.
Both Murielle and Belladonna shook their heads no and thrust their hands out in front of them to stop her. “That’s quite alright. I trust you know how to handle such things better than we do,” Bella said.
“That’s what I thought,” Sumac said and slipped the rock into her pocket. “Now, are there any more marshmallows in this house? I’m famished. Magic always makes me feel a bit snacky.
“Wait a second. What about the conflict rune? Why is someone using it? Somebody please tell me what is going on here,” Detective Ben said and stood up.
“Oh, right. It’s something about a dragon or order of the dragons. Something about the keeper. I don’t know. You’d have to ask Granny Pepper or Petunia. They are much better at reading the old symbols than I am.”
“Sumac, we can’t ask them,” Ben whispered.
“Yep. It’s a doozy. Guess ya’ll have some work to do,” she said, and with that, left the room and headed for the kitchen.
“What do we do now?” Murielle asked once it was just the three of them in the room.
“I don’t know,” Belladonna said. “We don’t have much to go on. The box, the burn on Jeremy’s neck, and Lexi’s suspicious interest in Sterling.”
“What burn?” Ben asked. Bella could almost see his ears prick up with interest.
“Jeremy Whiteside came into my salon the day after the fire with a burn on his neck. He said it was caused by chemicals falling on him in his work shed,” Bella said.
“And you didn’t report this to the police?” Ben asked, astonished.
“It didn’t seem like he was lying at the time. I mean, if he had been burned in the fire, why would he come into the salon the next day for a haircut?”
Ben just looked at her in disbelief. “Belladonna Nightshade, I am the one who decides what is relevant and what isn’t. This is my case.”
For a moment, Belladonna just looked at him, and he wasn’t sure if she was going to scream at him or start to cry.
“I’m sorry. I’m just feeling tense. It’s been a long day, and I’ve got a lot to absorb. I should go. I’m not very good company right now,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck.
“I’ll walk you out. Murielle, will you go check on Aunt Sumac?”
“Sure thing, sister witch,” Murielle said and picked up Sterling on her way out of the room.
Detective Ben and Belladonna lingered on the porch for a few minutes, not quite sure what to do next. Ben knew that he needed to solve this crime. Whatever was going on was standing between him and Belladonna, and he would move heaven and earth to remove it from his path.
Right now, though, he needed to talk to Jeremy.
Thirteen
The Library
Murielle was in the stacks shelving books when Jeremy approached her. He startled her and she dropped the stack of books she was holding. The loud sound even made him flinch. It was mostly because he didn’t want to draw attention to them. Jeremy wanted to talk to Murielle alone.
“Jeremy, hello. What’s up? Can I help you find something?” Murielle said in a fluster as she picked up the books she’d dropped.
“I actually have some information that could help you. Well, it could help Belladonna. She’s in danger. The full moon’s protection is over, and those who want to move against her will be doing so soon,” he said, and Murielle could see the sweat breaking out on his forehead.
“How do you know about that?” Murielle believed Jeremy to be an ordinary, and she couldn’t fathom how he knew about the full moon.
“That doesn’t matter right now. What does matter is that Lexi and her Ladies Brigade want Sterling and they’re not afraid to take Belladonna and you out to get her.”
“The cat? Why does Lexi want the cat? It’s not like she’s going to get the inheritance money if she takes the cat,” Murielle said in shock. “Belladonna’s got living relatives who would inherit Sterling if she dies.”
“It’s not about the money. It’s about what Sterling is, and what the Ladies Brigade think they can do if they control her.”
“She’s a cat. Jeremy, seriously you need some rest. You don’t look so hot.”
“I need to go. It’s hard for me to be here. I can’t explain it, but something is trying to keep me from talking to you. Look into the history of the Ladies Brigade. There has to be something in this library about them. No one ever really looks into their past, but it’s dark,” Jeremy said and took off running as if he was being chased.
He’d certainly aroused Murielle’s curiosity. She put the rest of the books away and headed down to the basement, where the Winterfield Library kept all of their archives.
Murielle hadn’t made many trips to the library’s basement, but now that she was down there, she could see that she had her work cut out for her. There were hundreds of years of history filed away in the dark and dusty shelves, and she had no clue where to start.
Usually, Murielle didn’t bring her wand to work with her, but the last few day’s events had her on edge. It was tucked away in the inside pocket of her jacket, so she pulled it out and waved it softly in the air while casting a basic clarity spell.
A small figure appeared in front of her. It looked like a tiny blue fairy with angelic white gossamer wings. It smiled, did a twirl, and then beckoned Murielle to follow it with a wave.
The little fairy danced through the air as it led Murielle to the back of the basement stacks. The baby blue aura around her flared into a bright light, and then she disappeared in front of a shelving unit containing multiple large wooden boxes.
It was too dark to read, so Murielle cast an illumination spell and pulled one of the boxes off the shelf. She set it down on the floor and pulled the lid off. After setting it off to the side, Murielle sat down and started going through the box.
It contained several ancient-looking black leather-bound books. She pulled them out and sat them next to the box so that she could see what else was inside.
In the bottom of the box, Murielle found several cloth pouches that felt like they contained stones, a bundle of feathers, and a tiny carved onyx dragon.
Murielle could tell the items were used for an important ritual, but she had no idea what it could be. They were humming with energy, and she was surprised she couldn’t feel it from upstairs. The library’s basement must be some sort of magical containment unit.
There must be so many secrets contained down here in all of these nondescript-looking boxes. If only Murielle had time to go through them all, but right now her friend needed her. They needed to find out what ritual the talismans were used in.
They would have to do it without Granny Pepper and Belladonna’s mom, but Murielle knew Aunt Sumac could handle it. She came off as goofy and obsessed with snacks, but Murielle knew there was so much more going on there. Besides, she was all they had.
She packed the items and the books back into the box. Hopefully, she could sneak the box out of the library without her supervisor, or anyone else, seeing her. Stealing from the library was completely against Murielle’s nature, but she had to get this stuff over to Belladonna’s house.
Murielle crept up the stairs, and then laughed at herself. Nobody ever came down here, so sneaking up the dark stairwell was silly. Once she was out on the library floor, she’d have to move quickly out the back.
The bright light stung her eyes when she opened the basement door. Murielle winced at first but took a deep breath and composed herself. The key to not being caught was to act as if she wasn’t doing anything wrong. Her mission was to walt
z out of her workplace as if she was doing exactly what she was supposed to be doing.
She held her head up high, squared her shoulders, and made a beeline for the back door. For good measure, Murielle smiled at every patron who crossed her path.
The crisp outside air felt like freedom when she stepped outside. Murielle made her way to the square. As she suspected, the closed sign was turned out at Belladonna’s shop. She gripped the box tighter and quickly walked to Bella’s house.
As she approached the house, Murielle was surprised to see Detective Ben standing on the porch about to ring the doorbell. He looked completely stricken, and all of the color had drained from his face.
Jeremy Whiteside’s House – 2 Hours Earlier
Detective Ben had called Jeremy’s cell phone number, but there was no answer. Chief Frost had mentioned something earlier in the day, something about Jeremy working on his lawn that afternoon, so Ben called Frost back. He asked his boss if he could go over to his house and speak to Jeremy regarding the case since he couldn’t get through to him on the phone.
Frost put Detective Ben on hold so he could call his wife and confirm that Jeremy was still at their home working on their yard. Unfortunately, when Chief Frost spoke to her, she said that he hadn’t shown up that day.
“Does he do that often? Not show up, I mean,” Detective Benjamin asked, but he had a sinking feeling that he already knew the answer.
“Never. He’s always been extraordinarily reliable. Once he even showed up with the flu, and I had to send him home to rest. I find it troubling that he’d miss his appointment with me. He was going to start getting our plants ready for winter, so it was an important appointment, too.”
“I’m going over to his house,” Detective Ben said. “I’ll see if he’s there. Maybe he’s… I don’t know, I’ll find out.”
“Call me if you need backup. Officer Terry is just going out on patrol.”
“Will do.”
Detective Ben knocked on the door. It swung open, and he realized that it hadn’t been shut all the way.
“Jeremy Whiteside, this is Detective Benjamin Carmichael. Could you come to the door please?” he called out over the threshold.
He could hear a television on in a distant room, and all of the lights were on as if someone was home.
“Jeremy, are you here?” Ben called out again.
When no one answered again, he stepped into the house. The first thing he noticed was that the house had a dark feeling to it, despite the fact that every single light was on. Something in the air felt thick and almost suffocating.
Detective Ben searched the upstairs of the house first. There were two bedrooms, one that was apparently used and one that appeared to be a guest room, and a bathroom. Since there was no one upstairs, he checked all of the rooms on the first floor. The dining room, living room, and den were all empty. He looked around the kitchen and found a walk-in pantry and laundry room.
There was one last door, and when he opened it, he discovered a set of old wooden stairs into a cellar. There was no light switch at the top of the stairs. He peered down into the darkness and squinted his eyes. Once they adjusted, he could see a bare bulb with a pull chain at the base of the stairs.
The idea of going down there without any light, even if he would be able to turn one on soon, made his stomach do a backflip. Usually, Ben wouldn’t be afraid of the dark, but he could feel that he was going to find something terrible down there.
The foreboding was creeping up the stairs as if it was a living thing. Ben could almost feel it wrapping around his ankles and slithering up his legs. When it got up to his heart, Detective Ben had to close his eyes and take a series of long, deep breaths to keep the dread from consuming him.
It felt like it took all of his strength, but Ben took the first step. He found his courage and padded the rest of the way down. As he reached up and pulled the chain to turn on the bulb, it was as if he got a premonition of what he was about to see a split second before the bulb illuminated. Most people would just assume that it was his eyes seeing the truth before his mind could fully register it. Most people didn’t live in Winterfield.
Detective Benjamin had seen hundreds of dead bodies. Seeing this one was different. Something had changed in him since he’d moved out of the city, and the sight of Jeremy lying twisted on the cellar floor was more alarming than he’d expected.
He went back up to the top of the stairs and leaned against the wall for a moment to get his head together. After a few more deep breaths, he was able to take out his phone and call Chief Frost.
“You’d better get over to Jeremy Whiteside’s house. I’ve found his body. Call the forensics team. I’ll call Officer Terry.”
Once Luke arrived on the scene, Detective Benjamin gave him his statement while everything was still fresh in his mind. The forensics teams weren’t in the house very long since it didn’t appear that anything happened anywhere in the house except the cellar.
The coroner came and took Jeremy away, and the whole thing was done in just under two hours. It almost made Detective Ben’s head spin how fast it all happened.
He wanted to go home and take a shower. Whatever creepy, foul thing was infecting the house was clinging to him. Ben knew it wasn’t something he could wash off, but he wanted to try.
That wasn’t going to happen, though. Ben needed to go talk to Belladonna right away. The sickening feeling returned to his stomach. There was only one thing the forensics team found on Jeremy that could be considered evidence. They had a few gray cat hairs stuck to his clothes. Jeremy didn’t own a cat, and none of his scheduled clients that day did either.
Sure, there could be other people in Winterfield who owned a gray cat, but Belladonna had managed to tie herself to this case. Detective Ben had no doubt that Jeremy’s death was part of the Tory case. He was a person of interest in the case, and now he was dead. Unfortunately for Belladonna, the whole thing could be twisted to make it look terrible for her.
He knew without a doubt that she wasn’t involved, but he had to prove it. The case had become more than just solving a crime. It was about clearing her name.
Now it was personal.
Fourteen
777 Cornland Lane
Murielle and Detective Ben stood on the porch together waiting for someone to answer. They didn’t have to wait long for Aunt Sumac to open the door. She had a caramel apple in hand and a big smile on her face.
“Did anybody ever show you how to milk a mouse?” Sumac asked and took a bite of her caramel apple.
“Aunt Sumac, no,” Murielle said. “I have some things I need you to look at.” She tried to keep a straight face because of the direness of the situation but smiled despite herself.
“I need to speak with Belladonna,” Detective Benjamin said in his most official sounding voice.
“You guys seem super serious. Why don’t you come in, but please try to find some chill. You’re messing with my chakras or whatever,” Aunt Sumac said and stepped back so Detective Ben and Murielle could come in.
“What’s in the box?” Belladonna asked as she made her way down the oak staircase leading into the foyer.
“The box is going to have to wait. Belladonna, I need to speak with you now,” Detective Ben said sternly.
“Whoa, what’s up?” she asked as she tried to read his eyes.
They were filled with alarm, and that made her heart beat faster. It felt like her blood had turned to ice water, and she knew that something dark was set in motion before Ben arrived.
“Can we talk in private?”
Generally, she would argue that he could say whatever he had to say in front of her family, but this time she relented without a quarrel. She led him back upstairs to the second-floor solarium. The sun was on the other side of the house, so the room was bright, but the light and heat weren’t overwhelming.
“Belladonna, I don’t know any way to soften this blow, so I’m just going to say it. Jeremy Whiteside is dead, an
d there were gray cat hairs found on the body. I need a sample of Sterling’s fur for forensics to compare to the hair found at the crime scene.”
“Oh my. Okay. Sure, anything you need,” Belladonna said, and then a horrible thought occurred to her. “This makes me look even more like a suspect, doesn’t it?” she asked and rubbed her neck nervously.
“I don’t want to make any assumptions like that just yet, Bella. Let’s just get the sample and figure out what we’re going to do from there.”
Just then, Sterling came trotting up the steps and rubbed affectionately against Detective Benjamin’s leg. He bent over, plucked two of the hairs from his pant leg, and stood up. Ben had a tiny evidence bag inside his jacket pocket, so he put the two hairs in it.
“That was easy,” he said grimly and put the baggie back in his pocket.
“A little too easy. What are you up to cat?” Belladonna put her hands on her hips and gave the cat a wary look.
Sterling just meowled in her general direction and sauntered back down the stairs.
“Belladonna, you should get down here,” Aunt Sumac called from the parlor.
“I have to get the hairs to the lab. I’ll call you when I know something,” Detective Ben said and started for the staircase.
“Ben, wait,” Belladonna pleaded, but she didn’t know why. She just didn’t want him to leave. A deep sense of foreboding had gripped her stomach when he started to walk away.
Detective Ben turned around and pulled Belladonna into his arms. He held her close to his chest and rested his chin on her soft hair. Belladonna wrapped her hands around his waist and held on tight.
“It’s going to be okay. Everything is going to work out. I just know it. However, things might get worse before they get better, so I want to get Sterling’s hair to the lab and get back to Winterfield as fast as I can. I’ll come check on you as soon as I get back into town.” He said and kissed the top of her head as if it were something he did all of the time.
“Okay,” she responded and gave him one last squeeze.
Magic & Mystery: A Cozy Mystery Sampler Page 16
